Fire Escape
More Than Just a Good Coat of Paint

Walking down the streets of New York City, the zig-zag iron work of fire escapes
immediately evoke romantic images of a simpler time, having been immortalized
in books, songs and plays from West Side Story to Rent. With some fire escapes
being as large as whole rooms, (measuring 31 ½ feet wide by 10 ½ feet long, and wrapped by a 2 ½ foot high railing in some neighborhoods), tenants have converted their fire
escapes into personal spaces for years; from private libraries, meditation
spaces, laundromats and arboretums to the ultimate skybox seat at New York
Yankees games. As “classic New York” as this may be, one must not forget their real purpose.

Stephen Varone, AIA, president of RAND Engineering & Architecture, P.C. in New York City notes that, “A fire escape is a critical part of a building's emergency plans. You hope you
never have to use it, but if you do, it needs to be ready and reliable.”

The fire escape has been a New York City icon since the mid-19th-century. Their
inclusion in city laws can be traced back to Article 7 of the New York
Consolidation Act of 1891 which states, “Every such house shall be provided with a proper fire-escape, or means of escape
in case of fire, to be approved by the inspector of buildings.” But it wasn’t until the late 1920s, after a series of deadly fires, that the city began to
enforce tough rules requiring that all buildings be outfitted with a fire
escape or a second, enclosed stairwell.

Local Law 11

Local Law 11 began life in 1980 as Local Law 10, which required five-year
inspections of the street-facing façades of buildings seven stories or higher. Local Law 11 of 1998 is a slightly
updated version that now mandates the inspection of all façades, whether or not they are facing the street. Local Law 11 also requires
scaffolding with each inspection, a report on the cause of any deterioration,
and a timetable for repair. Upon inspection buildings are classified as "Safe,"
"Unsafe," or "Safe with a Repair and Maintenance Program" (SWARMP).

“Every five years, an engineer or architect performing the Local Law 11 facade
inspection on your building should look for any unsafe conditions on the fire
escapes,” says Peter Varsalona, P.E., who is principal with RAND. “Considered unsafe,” he says, “are any items or debris on the fire escape, such as flower pots, blocks or
bricks (often used to secure window air conditioners), personal items, or
anything that could fall from the fire escape or obstruct egress.”

Varsalona suggests first having your building's engineer look at the fire escape
to assess its structural soundness. “The engineer should note all bent, loose, or missing parts, such as steps (also
called treads), railings, slats, bolts, the supporting steel beams or angles
that attach into the face of the building, cracked or missing caulking or
bricks around the penetrations, rust, flaking paint, and any sharp edges or
pieces of metal. He should also check the condition of the drop ladder that
hooks on the second-floor landing of the fire escape and is lowered to the
ground so people can climb down safely.”

Overall maintenance of your fire escape is relatively inexpensive as most of the
work can be done by your established maintenance team. According to Larry
Kaufman, fourth-generation head of the family-owned J. Kaufman Iron Works,
founded in 1907, “ninety percent of the metal work in New York is steel or wrought iron.” This includes your fire escapes.

The bad news is steel and wrought iron are prone to rusting and therefore
require constant vigilance by the building’s maintenance crew. “As soon as the rust starts,” warns Kaufman, “it’s like a cancer. When you see something that’s really old and has been neglected and is rusted, it almost peels away in your
hands. Once it starts doing that, you’re done. The cost to fix it gets way up there.”

However the good news is that steel and wrought iron are relatively easy to
maintain. These are two materials that on-site maintenance staff can care for
without extensive training, and do not require a professional for maintenance.

Kaufman, whose company specializes in restoration, agrees. “I have buildings call us from time to time to do maintenance but I recommend
they do it themselves.”

For Kaufman the trick is regular painting. “Whoever maintains your building, just let them take a wire brush and knock off
anything loose and peeling and put on another coat of paint,” says Kaufman. “If continually painted, whether it’s on an annual basis, or semiannual, it will last forever.”

If there is long term neglect of fire escapes then, Cisco Meneses, owner and
founder of Fire Escape Services, which provides services nationwide, says you
should not be too complacent about merely scraping and painting them. “Is that what holds fire escapes together, paint?” he muses.

In his Fire Escape Academy, Meneses teaches inspectors and engineers from across
the country to change their focus from “scrape and paint violations” to “repair and paint violations,” thus forcing owners and safety professionals to take a closer look at the
entire structure. According to Meneses, new fire escapes have not been fully
constructed on the whole since the 1930s. This means, he says, “we have fire escapes in this city which are bordering on 75 to 100 years old.”

According to Meneses, rust is definitely a major problem but structure is
another. “One must look for structural cues that say whether or not this structure also
needs refurbishment,” he says. More often than not it’s as simple as the bolts. “With every fire escape out there,” says Meneses, “if you want to know its age—look at the bolts. If it has a square head bolt or a rivet it’s 50 to 75 years or older. If it has a hex head bolt on it then it is 25 to 50
years. How easy is it now to see if the fire escape has original hardware on it
or if it’s been refurbished? It’s just the bolt. It’s that simple.”

The lesson here: that if you have a fire escape with nothing but original
hardware your building is definitely due for more than just a coat of paint.
According to Varsalona, fire escape repairs beyond scraping, and painting, are
relatively simple consisting of mainly tightening loose bolts and minor
welding.

“The most critical elements are the steel beams or angles that penetrate the
building wall and provide structural support for the fire escape. If they show
signs of wear, they may need a supporting angle or reinforcing plate welded to
them for added support.”

“If the steel is badly deteriorated,” Varsalona adds, “the beams will need to be removed and replaced with new ones, which requires
removing the brickwork or masonry around the joints where they penetrate the
wall. All joints around penetrations should be caulked to keep water out. Not
only will water corrode the beams and loosen the fire escape's supporting
members but it will also damage the brickwork and allow leaks to find their way
into the building. Loose steps, railings, platform slats, handrails, and other
metal pieces should likewise be bolted or welded as necessary.”

Time to Paint

When it comes time to paint make sure all rust is scraped off as well as any
loose, blistering, peeling, or flaking paint. This can be the more
time-consuming aspect but it must be done.

“If the fire escape has been painted over several times and the underlying paint
wasn't properly removed,” says Varone, “then sections of it may have to be scraped down to the bare metal. The metal is
typically cleaned with a power washer and dried, and then a rust-inhibitive
primer and enamel-based paint are applied. To keep the fire escape in uniform
condition, it's recommended that the whole assembly be painted at one time
rather than just portions of it.”

Varone also recommends that before removing the paint on an older or historic
structure the association board may need to hire an environmental firm to test
the paint for lead and asbestos. “If either one of these materials are found, then you will be required by New
York City law to undertake an extensive—and often expensive—lead and/or asbestos abatement project.

This would entail hiring a lead/asbestos abatement firm, which must follow
strict OSHA rules, such as using a wet-based removal method instead of dry
scraping (which produces air-borne particles) and sealing all windows to
prevent hazardous dust or residue from entering apartments. If the paint
doesn't contain lead or asbestos, the contractor can use standard paint
stripping methods with the usual precautions.”

The board must also find out if the building is in a New York City-designated
historic or landmarked district. If that is the case, Varone adds that the
building will need to obtain a permit from the Landmarks Preservation
Commission (LPC) for any repair or alternations. “The LPC will want to make certain that the fire escape is painted in a
historically-accurate color.”

Retired FDNY Deputy Chief Vincent J Dunn has estimated there may be only 200,000
fire escapes left in New York City. It’s not quite certain how much longer the iconic fire escape will be with us. Post
9-11 climate and new construction are forcing them to be obsolete as they are
replaced with fireproof internal stairs.

As much as they are part of our identity as New Yorkers—as residents, fire escapes are key to our survival in an emergency. You may
never know if you’ll ever have to use your fire escape but keeping it well maintained is the best
insurance you can have.

J.M. Wilson is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to The Cooperator.

Please search youtube for Fire Escape Seminar and watch 3-6 hr continuing Ed classes taught nationwide to Fire and Code Officials on how to properly inspect, repair and paint Fire Escapes. You can also now visit NationalFireEscapeAssociation.org for industry standard documentation and links to all free fire escape seminars.

My building coop management has hired a firm to clean the fire escapes .
They are removing loose paint and pigeon droppings using a brigade of hammer wielding unskilled laborers. I can't believe this isn't a violation of codes. The bird droppings and paint chips just fall through the air to the ground . Has anyone ever seen this method used before ?
Is it legal in New York City ?